Chapter Twenty Three
Jack watched as his daughter left the room, the result, only he and Irina, opposite sides, her sitting on a table, him standing, still shocked. As the door slammed shut, cameras still rolling but a sense that they could talk, Jack realized for the first time that his wife wasn't her usual self. Rushing over, he was shocked to find himself so worried, and for what? There was an extra slump to her, an extra wrinkle in her forehead when she watched him, smiling and acting like nothing was wrong.
Immediately he asked, "What's wrong?"
But she didn't answer, not having him to pick up on it, she was prepared to try to brush it all off, even while he hovered around her, looking for the cause of her distress. "Irina, what's the matter?"
"Nothing," she chuckled, trying to shoo him away but failing as his head cocked to watch her more intently and for once she felt like telling the truth. Even in a little situation like this it was still important to the two of them, still important to her that she try to be honest and so, looking up and trying to sound as though it didn't matter, she answered. "It's just the cuts, they're deep."
His brow creased, the look of worry and complete concentration on his face seductive in its own way and eliciting a chuckle from Irina as she stood, wincing as her skin moved, several of the cuts ripping open again. "You should have told me," Jack said, wrapping an arm around her waist, fingers tentative as he tried not to damage what he was looking at now as a fragile item further. "We have to get you some medical attention."
"No," she said, voice defiant enough to ward him off, "I just need some water and a good night's sleep. Wrapping them up of a waist of time, they'll split every time I move, I just need to get back to my cell and lie down."
"You're sure?" he asked, still not happy with the circumstances. "I could get you into a hospital for the night if you would rather."
"No, just some water." She stopped, watching him, head cocked to avoid bringing her lips too close to his, "And a spare pair of hands?" She smiled at him as he nodded, slipping away from her to walk out into the hall, telling her to wait a moment.
Once out in the white washed, overly clean hall, he grabbed the closest guard and forced his phone from him, demanding he be given access and scaring the hell through the young guard who had obviously never had the pleasure of dealing with someone like Jack. Punching in a number, he was soon on the phone with Kendall. "Sir, Derevko has sustained injuries."
"What?" came his angry and blatantly frustrated voice back down the line.
"Yes, she has a profusion of deep cuts across her stomach and legs."
"Bad?" he asked, not sounding overly impressed but still totally unaware that the dynamic between Jack and Irina had changed in the slightest.
"Yes, I'd say she's going to need to have them cleaned at least."
"I don't want her leaving her cell again," Kendall said, his voice muffled by other voices as a group of guards walked past Jack.
"She's going to have to need some sort of attention," Jack pleaded.
"What would you have me do? Put her into hospital, give her a chance to escape? And you're not exactly in my good books either, so you guarding her isn't going to help."
"No," jack said, dragging his helpless superior further into the trap. "We could leave her in the cell, but she is going to need someone there with her."
"Who?"
"I could go."
"Jack..."
"Lock us both in there, any other guard will either be seduced or killed. You know I can handle her, how else do you think she ended up back here?"
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds while Kendall thought, his voice eventually coming back, still angry and frustrated but also tired. "I'll call around, there will be five guards, professionals, right around the corner, the entire night. So whatever you are planning, whether it be to break her out, again, or to break one of her legs, I don't want you to try it. You clean her up, make sure she isn't going to die, give her no reason to consider her treatment here bad and leave tomorrow morning, six am." He paused, "Personally Jack, I can't see why you don't just go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow you're going to be getting a lot of rude calls from my superiors and you do not want to be sluggish, but..."
"You think that I'm the best man for the job." Jack finished for him, "Have the guards here with in five minutes." He hung up the phone, smiling as he handed it back to the still scared agent and turned to go back in the room.
As he turned the handle he had no fear that Irina would have pulled a stunt and escaped, he just had that feeling of anticipation, that he was about to see her again and couldn't wait. It was stupid really that he should feel so badly, a few days ago, he'd hated her, or so he had thought, but now, now he was sure it was love. Turning the door handle, he moved into the room, his back to her as he shut the door.
"Don't tell me you managed to convince Kendall to you stay the night?" she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, "You really do have a way with words."
"You should be careful." Jack said, relaxing into her but still ever careful not to hurt.
"Do you mean my injuries or the fact that there are cameras around?"
"Both."
"My injuries are insignificant in this instance, you make them go away," he grinned, grasping her hands in his where the lay on his chest.
"And the cameras?"
"You were gone for too long," she grinned, nuzzling his neck from behind, "I got bored, I think that all they'll be seeing is static."
Jack grinned, turning to face her and kissing her nose tenderly, "You're the devil I swear."
"And is that so bad?" she smiled as he kissed along the muscle running from her neck to her shoulder.
"Most definitely not." He grinned, planting a kiss on her lips.
The door crashed open, hitting the wall with a loud bang as a stream of men ran into the room, shouting in what may as well have been Japanese for all the sense it made. From their words, Jack deciphered that the CIA wasn't all that impressed with the convenient breaking of their cameras. Luckily, the pair had broken apart at the first sign of company and not one of the guards noticed their unprofessional state. Raising there hands, they waited, smug grins hidden behind indifferent expressions.
"What happened to the cameras?" one of the men, possibly the one in charge, boomed.
Jack watched as his daughter left the room, the result, only he and Irina, opposite sides, her sitting on a table, him standing, still shocked. As the door slammed shut, cameras still rolling but a sense that they could talk, Jack realized for the first time that his wife wasn't her usual self. Rushing over, he was shocked to find himself so worried, and for what? There was an extra slump to her, an extra wrinkle in her forehead when she watched him, smiling and acting like nothing was wrong.
Immediately he asked, "What's wrong?"
But she didn't answer, not having him to pick up on it, she was prepared to try to brush it all off, even while he hovered around her, looking for the cause of her distress. "Irina, what's the matter?"
"Nothing," she chuckled, trying to shoo him away but failing as his head cocked to watch her more intently and for once she felt like telling the truth. Even in a little situation like this it was still important to the two of them, still important to her that she try to be honest and so, looking up and trying to sound as though it didn't matter, she answered. "It's just the cuts, they're deep."
His brow creased, the look of worry and complete concentration on his face seductive in its own way and eliciting a chuckle from Irina as she stood, wincing as her skin moved, several of the cuts ripping open again. "You should have told me," Jack said, wrapping an arm around her waist, fingers tentative as he tried not to damage what he was looking at now as a fragile item further. "We have to get you some medical attention."
"No," she said, voice defiant enough to ward him off, "I just need some water and a good night's sleep. Wrapping them up of a waist of time, they'll split every time I move, I just need to get back to my cell and lie down."
"You're sure?" he asked, still not happy with the circumstances. "I could get you into a hospital for the night if you would rather."
"No, just some water." She stopped, watching him, head cocked to avoid bringing her lips too close to his, "And a spare pair of hands?" She smiled at him as he nodded, slipping away from her to walk out into the hall, telling her to wait a moment.
Once out in the white washed, overly clean hall, he grabbed the closest guard and forced his phone from him, demanding he be given access and scaring the hell through the young guard who had obviously never had the pleasure of dealing with someone like Jack. Punching in a number, he was soon on the phone with Kendall. "Sir, Derevko has sustained injuries."
"What?" came his angry and blatantly frustrated voice back down the line.
"Yes, she has a profusion of deep cuts across her stomach and legs."
"Bad?" he asked, not sounding overly impressed but still totally unaware that the dynamic between Jack and Irina had changed in the slightest.
"Yes, I'd say she's going to need to have them cleaned at least."
"I don't want her leaving her cell again," Kendall said, his voice muffled by other voices as a group of guards walked past Jack.
"She's going to have to need some sort of attention," Jack pleaded.
"What would you have me do? Put her into hospital, give her a chance to escape? And you're not exactly in my good books either, so you guarding her isn't going to help."
"No," jack said, dragging his helpless superior further into the trap. "We could leave her in the cell, but she is going to need someone there with her."
"Who?"
"I could go."
"Jack..."
"Lock us both in there, any other guard will either be seduced or killed. You know I can handle her, how else do you think she ended up back here?"
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds while Kendall thought, his voice eventually coming back, still angry and frustrated but also tired. "I'll call around, there will be five guards, professionals, right around the corner, the entire night. So whatever you are planning, whether it be to break her out, again, or to break one of her legs, I don't want you to try it. You clean her up, make sure she isn't going to die, give her no reason to consider her treatment here bad and leave tomorrow morning, six am." He paused, "Personally Jack, I can't see why you don't just go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow you're going to be getting a lot of rude calls from my superiors and you do not want to be sluggish, but..."
"You think that I'm the best man for the job." Jack finished for him, "Have the guards here with in five minutes." He hung up the phone, smiling as he handed it back to the still scared agent and turned to go back in the room.
As he turned the handle he had no fear that Irina would have pulled a stunt and escaped, he just had that feeling of anticipation, that he was about to see her again and couldn't wait. It was stupid really that he should feel so badly, a few days ago, he'd hated her, or so he had thought, but now, now he was sure it was love. Turning the door handle, he moved into the room, his back to her as he shut the door.
"Don't tell me you managed to convince Kendall to you stay the night?" she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, "You really do have a way with words."
"You should be careful." Jack said, relaxing into her but still ever careful not to hurt.
"Do you mean my injuries or the fact that there are cameras around?"
"Both."
"My injuries are insignificant in this instance, you make them go away," he grinned, grasping her hands in his where the lay on his chest.
"And the cameras?"
"You were gone for too long," she grinned, nuzzling his neck from behind, "I got bored, I think that all they'll be seeing is static."
Jack grinned, turning to face her and kissing her nose tenderly, "You're the devil I swear."
"And is that so bad?" she smiled as he kissed along the muscle running from her neck to her shoulder.
"Most definitely not." He grinned, planting a kiss on her lips.
The door crashed open, hitting the wall with a loud bang as a stream of men ran into the room, shouting in what may as well have been Japanese for all the sense it made. From their words, Jack deciphered that the CIA wasn't all that impressed with the convenient breaking of their cameras. Luckily, the pair had broken apart at the first sign of company and not one of the guards noticed their unprofessional state. Raising there hands, they waited, smug grins hidden behind indifferent expressions.
"What happened to the cameras?" one of the men, possibly the one in charge, boomed.